Oil burner



ug. 8,1933. F1 E HERR 1,921,922

OIL BURNER Filed Aug. 9, 1928 3 Sheets-Shree?I l mvENToR ferr.'

WITN SS S iHv/2m BY F. E. HERR OIL BURNER Aug. 8, 1933.

Filed Aug. 9, 1928 s sheets-sheet 2 a INVENToR ATToRNEY y F. E. HERR OILBURNER Aug. 8, 1933.

Filed Aug. 9, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY tions being shown insection,

iatenterl Aug. 8, 'i933 Limit 0H.' BURNER Frank E. Herr, lllanaster, Fa.Application August 9, i928. Serial No. 298,56@ i palms. (ci. 15e-eti)This invention relates to improvements in oil burners, and it consistsof the constructions, combinations and arrangements herein described andclaimed.

An object of the invention is to provide what is herein known as acontrol tank which has components that operate either singly orcooperate with eachother for the ultimate purpose of delivering aAcombustible fluid to the burner housing, the working of said componentsbeing such that the proportions of air and oil in said fluid will alwaysbe constant.

Another object of the invention is to embody a particular constructionin the air and oil suc-v tion valve which is one of the components ofthe aioresaid'control tank, the outstanding function of this valve beingto supply the pumping or pri'- marychamber of said tank with correctamounts of air and oil to meet the requirements of the burner.

A further object of the invention is to provide a single valve casingwhich is the common charging means for the fluid tank in that pipes fromoil and air sources lead to it, said casing containing a single actuatorwhich is in itself capable of controlling the admission of the twoelements (oil and air), the position of the actuator being governed byan `oi1 level-controlled iloat in the tank.

A further object of the invention is to iire the combustible fluid inthe burner housing outside of the furnace, thus torthrow into thefurnace iiames only, these being conined to the iire bricklined ashchamber in which their intensity will be magnied and from which heatwill radiate to the heating surfaces or i'lues of the furnace.

A further object of the invention is a general simplification in thestructure of an oil burner, which object is supported by the use oflarge and simply constructed conduits the main attribute of which is theavoidance of clogging should the oil contain sediment.

Other objects and advantages appear inthe following specification,reference being had to the not exclusive because, by making adjustmentsat accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating atypical installation of the improved oil burner,l portions being shownin section,

Figure 2 is a detail section of the air and oil suction valve which isone of the'principal components of the control tank,

Figure 3 is a detail section of a mixing valve usedV in connection withthe control tank,

Figure 4 is a plan View of the burner unit, por- Figure 5 is a crosssection of the burner housing, taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 4,

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the removable atomization and ringchamber,

Figure 7 is a longitudinal section of the burner 60 and fan taken on theline 7-7 of Figure a,

Figure 8 is a longitudinal section of the control -tank taken on theline 8 8 of Figure 4,

Figure 9 is a section of the oil relief valve taken on the line 9-9 ofFigure 8,

Figure lo is a section of the air relief valve taken on the line 10-10of Figure 8,

The fundamental purpose of the improved oil burner is to produce a cleanand intensely hot iame which is thrown into the furnace at a point 70relatively low in the latter so that only the ash A pit needs to belined with fire brick, it being from the hot center produced by the hightemperature flame that the heat will radiate to the heating surfacesori'lues of the furnace. By cleanliness of the flameis meant the lack ofunignited fuel which, if present, would either settle on the bottom ofthe furnace or collect on the sides as Well as on the heating surfacesto the detriment of the operation, the means by which the desirableresult is attained residing primarily in that element known as theburner housing. As Will presently be brought out, the structure of theburner housing is such that the incoming combustible uid is` 85subjected to considerable heat so that it will readily lend itself toatomization and ignition in thechamber provided for the purpose.

It would be but an incomplete arrangement were the automatic control ofthe air and oil not provided for properly. The formation of thecombustible iuid, which is herein considered as air and oil but whichmay comprise other ingredients, is left to the element known as thecontrol tank, the components of which not only keep the tank suppliedWith air and oil but also regulate the quantities of air and oil in sucha manner that the combustible iiuid will comprise approximately fourparts of air and .one part of oil. This ratio is the control tank, theproportions can be varied.v

Reference is made to the'drawings. In Figure 1 the main parts of theapparatus comprise an oil storage tank 1, Siphon breaker 2, oil strainer3, control tank 4, motor compartment 5, burner housing 6 and furnace '7.The oil storage tank may obviously be of any capacity. It has a llingpipe 8 and a cleaning and test pipe 9 as well as a conventional ventpipe 10. A feed pipe 12 leads from a point approximately four inches ofthe bottom of the tank to a point of connection in the inlet piping 13.This piping is composed of sections so connected that it presents asubstantial vertical oblong when viewed as in Figure 1.

One end of the piping connects with the oil nipple 14 of the air and oilsuction valve 15 (Figs.y 2, 4 and 8). The other end of the pipingcommunicates with the primary or pumping chamber 16 ofthe control tank 4through a bushing 17 (Figs. 4 and 8) The particular form of the inletpiping 13 in Figure 1 will be used only where the supply tank 1 isplaced at a level higher than the burner unit. In such installations asiphon breaker must be employed, and the general arrangement of thepiping 13 is designed to accommodate the siphon breaker.

The siphon breaker 2 comprises nothing more than a swinging check valve.t is placed at the highest point in the system. 1t islocated directlyabove the feed pipe 12. When a suction occurs in the primary or pumpingchamber 16 by means which is presently described, the swinging checkvalve will gravitate to the closed position. Oil will be drawn from thetank 1 through the feed pipe 12. When the oil has reached a suicientlevel in the pumping chamber 16, air will be admitted by means of thevalve 15. This air immediately rushes into one side of the piping 13 andopens the swinging check valve 2, so that air is admitted to the feedpipe 12 and breaks the vacuum between the oil storage tank l and thechamber 16.

The feed pipe 12 is connected with the oil nip-s ple 14 of the suctionvalve 15 which has an air port 18 (Fig. 2) located in the air nipple 19.The casing of this valvesis the common terminal of oil and air sourcesrepresented by the pipe 13 and port 18 (Fig. 2), and the passage ofthese elements is controlled by a single actuator which is capable ofperforming the necessary functions of admitting oil and air at propertimes.

Oil is pumped into the primary or pumping chamber 16 in the followingmanner-A sleeve 2O (Fig. 2), constituting the foregoing single actuator,is slidable in the hollow body of the suction valve 15. The sleeve isopen at the top and has a closure 2l at the bottom; but the closure haspassages 22 through which oil or air is conducted to the chamber 16. Thesleeve has oil and air ports 23 and 24 registrable either with the oilnipple 14 or the airnipple 19. Upon registration of the oil port andnipple the air nipple 19 will be closed olf, and upon registration ofthe air port and nipple the oil nipple 14 will be closed off.Registration of the air port 24 and nipple 19 does not occur in theordinary operation of the burner, but only in instances when the iioat27 either sinks to the bottomJ of the primary chamber or the suctionvalve 15 refuses to work.

A link 25 connects the sleeve 20 with the stem 26 of the fioat 27. Thefloat will be buoyed by the oil in the primary chamber 16.- When thelevel of the oil recedes below a point which may conveniently beregarded as normal, the float 27 will assume the inclined position inFigure 2 whereupon the oil port 23 will stand open and the air port 24will be closed. Situated in the motor compartment 5 is a pump 28 (Fig.4). This pump has intake and discharge pipes 29 and 30. The intake pipehas connection with an air and oil manifold 31 within the primary orpumping chamber (Fig. 8).

This manifold is in the form of a U. One leg is slightly longer than theother, and the long leg terminates rather close to the top 32 of thetank 4, well above the oil level. The submerged part of the manifold hasan oil hole 33.

Itis assumed that the pump 28 is in continuous operation, and upon theoccurrence of the condition wherein the oil in the chamber 16 hasreceded from its normal level and the nipple 19 to have closed as aresult, the partial vacuum created in the chamber 16 by the exhaustionof the air will serve to draw oil from the storage tank l by way of theoil port 23. The so-called pumping operation will continue until the oillevel is restored, and the oil port 23 is closed by the lifting of theoat 27.

There will now be communication of the primary chamber 16 with theoutside atmosphere through the air nipple 19. Continued operation of thepump 28 causes the continued drawing in of air and oil at the inlet andhole 33 respectively of the manifold 31. The areas of the air inlet ofthe manifold and of the oil hole 33 are approximately four to one, sothat four parts of air and one part of oil will be delivered by the pumpin the form of an emulsive mixture. This mixture is delivered from thepump by way of .the discharge pipe 30 (Fig. 4) to a secondary or air andoil control chamber 34 (Fig. 8) This chamber is dened by a partition 35in the tank 4. The

point of connection of the discharge pipe 3D is indicated at 36.

A constant level of oil is maintained in the secondary or air and oilchamber 34, as Well as a constant pressure thereupon, in the followingmanner;-Inasmuch as the mixture discharged from the pipe 30 into thesecondary chamber 34 has the force of the pump behind it a pressure willbe built up in the secondary chamber. The air in the primary chamber 16will be at atmospheric pressure, but the air in the secondary chamber 34will be slightly above, say ve pounds. The pressure will be registeredon a gauge 37.

The effect of the air cushion will be to force oil from the secondarychamber through a pipe 38 which extends from an opening in the partition35 to a point within the secondary chamber where it is equipped with anoil relief valve 39 (Fig. 9). The valve element 40 has ports 41 whichare registrable with the passage of the valve body when vthe connectedfloat 42 rises suiciently high. Under this circumstance the air cushionabove the oil will force the oil up the pipe 38 and into the primarychamber 16. The built up pressure' in the chamber 34 is slightly higherthan that existing in the chamber 16, and thus when the valve 39 opens,the oil delivered into the chamber 16.

Regulation of the built up pressure in the secondary chamber 34 is hadby' means of an air relief valve 43 (Figs. 8 and 10). This valve has aball 44 which tends to be seated in a chamber 45 by a spring-46. Thespring can be adjusted by a threaded pin 47.- The adjustments can bemade 'so that pressures from one to ve pounds (less or more, if desired)will be permitted to 'build up in the secondary chamber 34 before theball 44 will unseat and permitl the excess pressure to escape.

By preference the escape of the excess pres- CJI aoaneaa dripping ci oilon top of the tanlr Ll, it being evident that the escaping air mightcarry with it minute particles or oil that would collect in the chamber45 or" the valve i3 and drip. Any oil thus blown out would collect inthe guard pipe le and intimately run baclr into 'the primary chamber lo.

Mixing ci air and oil for the purposes of the retort 6 is accomplishedin the following manner: Air and oil are taken from the secondarychainel bei Ell and are delivered to an adjustable atomizer ongle L19 inthe retort by way of a spray pipe 5b fs. l, and i) One end or" this pipeis con-u ihe plug ion 52 oi this valve is screwed into the top 32 i thetanlr l at a point of communication with the secondary chamber 34. Theplug has oil passages 53 and 5a which conmiunicate with a mixing passage55. The voliune of air discharged into the mining passage is regulatedby an adjustable valve stem 56. The oil passage 53 has a 'leed pipe 5'?which extends to a point to the bottom oi the chamber 3d.

e pressure above the oil the ces the oil up through the pipe 5'? intothe e 53 and thence into the passage 55. This s still partiallyaerate-d. Zit comprises an i ulsive mixture as previously stated..I Theac= on of the air undeln pressure from the passage will be to reduce theemulsive mixture to a spray, this spray will be ifurther broken up whenit reaches the nozzle e9. The type of nusiing valve 5l shown is notnecessarily adhered Some other irnxingvalve might be substi tuted.Although this is true, the particular iorrn of mining valve 5l. embodiesan important feature to recommend its use. lts construction is such thatoil prevented from siphoning into the biner housing S upon shutting downoi the apparatus. 'ihe passage 5d is always open, and is here that theSiphon will be broken when c You. er ceases operation. Thus oil is de=liverec to the nozzle 49 only while the burner is in operation and theoil is needed.

Upon shutting oil will simply run into the secondary chamber will beadmitted at the passage 5e and any tendency toward the siphoning ot theoil will be instantly prevented. No control or shut-oil valve oi any"sind is thus necessary between the secondary cham er and the retort.This is an important The manner m which the oil spray is ultl= matelyatomized in the burner housing il, iurther mined with air and :tired isas iollows-A. tiring chamber 58 isinserted through an opening 59 in thehousing of the burner housing d so as to occupy aposition directly inthe path of a stream ci air, designated by arrows d0, from a ian di..I'ihene is ample space at the sides oi the riner chamber for the passagethere around oi the stream oi air, the burner housing being enlarged atc2 (Figa'd and 5) for the purpose. The firing chamber has a pair of sideslots 63 in proximity with the nozzle 49. lt has holes Sli higher up.these admitting the electrodes 65 of a pair oi spark plugs 66 that arescrewed into bosses 67 on a ange 68 of the ring chamber by which thelatter is secured upon the housing.

Air from the stream 60 enters at the openings 63, 64 to immediatelycommingle with the atomized oil. The entrance of air at the four points63 and 64 (Fig. 6) is important. By immediately combining with theatomized oil there is formed uid which becomes perfectly combustiblewhen down the burner any residual it unites with an additional volume ofair around thechamber 58. There will be no accumulation or any lrind onthe electrodes (i5, and these, as a consequence will be lrept clean. Byadmitting a plurality oi streams of air into the iiring chamber. theignited duid will be directed into the two cross currents of air comingaround veach side ot the hiring chamber 5d..

The resulting dame, denoted by ll in Figure "J, will nil that portionor" the burner housing@ immediately beyond the tiring chamber 53. Thisportion is outside or the combustion chamber ci the hirnace 7 (Fig. il.But inasmuch as the end of the burner housing sits hush with the insideci the rire brick lining, therewill be no chance ci any diminution inthe heat, tor the flame whl be thrown directly into the com= bustionchamber in the region ordinarily known as the ash pit; whence there willbe a ra'chation or to other parts oi the iurnace.

hi its passage through the retort the air riesiga hated the arrows do inFig. 'il becomes highly heated by the burning atomized oil. The preheated air is in better condition to assist the vaporization ci thepreviously atomiaedoil. .after l the operation oi the burner is wellestablished, will naturally travel. baclrwardly in the burner housing(ci and pre-heat the incoming air stream. portion oi the spray pipe 5ooccurring within the retort will be subjected to conl siderable heat sothat the oil spray contained thereby will be partially gasiiied beforeit is dis charged at the nozzle 49. i.

A. cover di) closes the opening oi the iiring 58. The iiring chamber isremovable from the burner housing but tor the ordinary purpose oi ci theinterior the cover 'S9 can be removed. standard stove pipe damper fillis adjustable to regulate the air stream from the dl. The shaft il or"the fan is common to the and pump 28. and is driven an electric motor l2the motor compartment 5.

The operation is readily understood. The ieed pipe l2 (liig. ll Eestablishes communication between the oil storage tank l and the air andoil suction valve l5 whether 'the storage tank be above orfhelow thelevel oi the burner unit. ln the iirst instance a siphon breaker 2 mustbe used. in the second l instance the valve l5 will operate as its ownSiphon breaker. The Siphon brealrer 2 is nothing more than a swingingcheclr valve which gravif tates to a closed position when there is asuction in the ieecl pipe l2 as when the oil port 23 (Fig. 2) 1 is incommunication with the nipple lll, and is forced open by the pressure ofatmospheric air as whenicommunication between the nipple i9 and valve l5is established after a pumping operation has ceased.

Assume the pump 28 to be operating continuously. .as a matter ci fact itwill not operate continuously because the motor 72 will, in practice, besubject to a suitable thermostatic control as well as a switch. Themotor may be stopped entirely by means or the switch, and temporarily bymeans of the thermostatic controlL These parts are all of commonknowledge and consequently are not illustrated in the drawings.` So,reverting to the 1 original proposition, the pump 28 is considered asbeing in continuous operation.

When the level of oil in the primary chamber 16 (Fig. 8) is such thatthe float 27 is supported in the substantially horizontal position (fulllines Fig. 8. dotted lines Fig. 2,) the sleeve 20 will be in parposition of opening of the air nipple 19 and closure of the oil nipple14. There is thus free communication of the atmosphere with the primarychamber 16, and the space above the oil Will be filled with atmosphericair.

As the pump 28 operates it will draw some of this air in at the upperinlet of the manifold 31, and will draw oil into the manifold at thehole 33. This produces a mixtureof air and oil. There will be more airthan oil because the air orice is larger than the oil hole. The mixturewill be well broken up by the action of the pump 28, prior to thedischarge thereof into the secondary chamber 34 by Way of the dischargepipe 30, because the pump will be operated at approximately 1759 R. P.M.

As the oil in the primary chamber 16 is used up the oat 27 will drop sothat it will presently assume the full line position in Figure 2. The

air nipple 19 will be closed by the sleeve 20, and

the oil port 23 brought into registration with the oil nipple le.Continued operation of the pump 28 will soon exhaust the air in theprimary chamber 16 to a point Where the partial vacuum will draw on theoil in the feed pipe l2 and lift a supply from the storage tank l. Asthe oil supply is replenished in the primary chamber 16 the float 27will re-assurne its first position, closing off the oil supply andestablishing a re-connection with the atmosphere.

The pressure of air and oil discharged from the pipe 30 (Fig. 4) intothe secondary chamber 3e is above that in the primary chamber 16. Theemulsive mixture is separated as it enters the secondary chamber, but asthe superior air pressure in the secondary chamber forces the mixturethrough the mixing valve 51 in Figs. 3, 4 and 8 it is again convertedinto a ne spray which thoroughly commingles with `the various airstreams in and around the firing chamber 58 in Figure 7. These airstreams are produced by theA fan 61. The main stream flows around thesides of the firing chamber, the burner housing 6 being enlarged at 62for the purpose. But some of the air also enters the firing chamber atthe openings 63 and 64, forming independent streams which guide theflaming, atomized and gasiiied combustible fluid into the two aircurrents emerg.

ing at the sides of the firing chamber.

The function of the suction valve 15 is important for by means of it theadmission of both oil and air is controlled. Only one oil pump isnecessary, and it serves both to replenish the oil supply from thestorage tank l and to supply the burner with a mixture of oil and air.The valve 15 can be relied upon to prevent the flooding of the pumpingchamber 16. Should the oat 27 become damaged and sink to the bottom ofthe primary chamber, or for any reason refuse to operate, the valve 15would automatically close olf the supply of oil, and at the same timewould bring the air port 24 into registration with the nipple 19 so thatair would be freely admitted to the pumping chamber 16 and break thevacuum in the supply line between the pumping chamber and the supplytank l.

Actual use has developed the fact that better ignition and burning ofthe oil is accomplished by producing a mixture of oil and air. Thebreaking up of the oil first occurs in the manifold 31. The pump 28produces a further breaking up of the oil, and after the mixture leavesthe mixing valve 5l it can be relied upon to be in the state of a spray.Inasmuch as a portion of the spray pipe (Fig. 7) is situated within theburn- 'Leaneae er housing 6, the spray is partially gasied before itemerges at the nozzle 49.

By igniting the mixture Within the burner housing and outside of thefurnace 7 there is no possibility whatever of damaging the effectivenessof the flame by undesired drafts of cold air which would occur were themixture thrown into the combustion chamber of the furnace and ignitedthere. The latter practice sets up uncontrollable drafts in thecombustion chamber, carrying the flaming oil above the area of the gratecenter with certain deleterious effects which need not be enlarged uponhere. It is sufficient to say that the arrangement of the burner housing6 permits no cold air to enter the combustion chamber of the furnace,nor allows uncontrolled air currents to retard the complete combustionof any unburnt gases or carry them off through the iiues of the furnacebefore they have become sufficiently heated for complete combustion.

By ring the oil spray within the ring chamber 58 of the burner housingthe parts become suihciently hot to insure the instant gasification ofthe mixture as it leaves the nozzle, In its passage through the burnerhousing the air from the fan 6l is heated by the burning mixture to atemperature of over 1400 F. and enters the combustion chamber of thefurnace in the form of a flame.v Complete combustion is materially aidedby pre-heating the air before it commingles with the spray from thenozzle.

It is to be noted that in various parts of the oil burner the openingsare suciently large to prevent any clogging by dirt or other sediment inthe oil. For instance, there are no exceptionally small openings in thesuction valve 15. The manner in which the oil relief valve 39 functionsto maintain a constant oil level in. the secondary chamber 34 has beenfully explained. The valve 39 and float 42 function to keep the level ofoil normal, while the valve ti3 is adjusted for a relief of air when thepressure exceeds a desired set amount.

While the construction and arrangement of the improved oil burner isthat of a generally preferred form, obviously modifications and changesmay be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or thescope of the claims.

I claimz- 1. In an oil burner, a valve structure having air and oilopenings in communication with air and oil sources, a sleeve in saidstructure having an oil port, a tank with which the valve hasconnection, a pump also in connection with the tank to draw on its fluidcontents, and a float resting on the oil and connected with the sleevefor sliding the sleeve either for'the admission of oil or air as the oillevel uctuates within determined limits. i

2. In an oil burner, a valve structure having air and oil nipples incommunication with air and oil sources, a sleeve in said structurehaving an oil port, being open at one end and provided with passages atthe opposite closed end, a tank with which the valve is connected, apump also connected with the tank to draw on its fluid contents, and afloat resting on the oil and connected with the sleeve to slide thesleeve in either of the two directions as the oil level uctuates withindetermined limits, to either register the oil port with the oil nippleand close the air nipple, or move the open end of the sleeve below theair nipple for the entrance of air and close olf the oil nipple.

3. In an oil burner, a tank having a single chamber, a pump incommunication with the bank so that it will perform a suction on fluidcontents of ille tank, a single valve casing oon nec'lsed with the 'bankand comprising a common tank-charging means communicable with an oilstorage ana with the outside ai?, a single ao tuatox in said easingfunctioning as a double valve being secgnentially movable into any olvanous positions .fespectively "zo admit abmospneiio air or oil fiom thestorage tank or both, to loe x fawn out of bank as a "mixtue oy allepump, and float-controlled means in said flank having a connecion withsaid actuatoi: for causing said eefn quential movemeni: by virtue oi oillevel-lncua= mons.

il. En a oonlz'ol tank having an air and oil cliam bei, a eovei' lo? thechamber, and means at which all and oll are delivered to the chambercomprising a valve casing earned toy the oovei having an and, oll portsin conmimication with. the/in- 'lexiox' o the casing, a valve memberoperable in "alle casing oomlniisin?,1 a sleeve having air ancl oil'inlets sequentially iegisli'able with the iesneotive pots and llavmg acommon outleiI for Tooizli. air and oil, float means in connection withthe sleeve for governing its position by the iise anal .fall of oil lnthe chamber, and means by which alle float means is suspended from theeover.

FRANK E.

